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How to save B.C.’s dwindling killer whales? Feed them, anglers propose
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Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Ya Right!.............
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
Do you have ideas to provide a viable solution that can help improve this issue?
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
I was going to say same thing.
I just watched Big Blue the rebirth of Monteray Bay. It shows how nature can rebuild itself if we really want it to. Amazing to see the huge schools of smelt and it just makes me wonder if we actually let our herring stocks rebuild to their full potential what could occur in the southern gulf.
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
I think there are many knowledgeable and informed people that would agree that it may be too late to wait and see if nature can rebuild itself in the case of the SRKW population. Most marine biologists would agree with this. The idea to reduce herring fishing is good, but how long will it take to get the Feds to agree to that, in the meantime what happens to the orcas?
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OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
What about the thousands of fish coming out of the hatcherys in the U.S.?
What we produce is a nothing compared to them.
Where do the whales winter? what species do they eat then?
What we produce is a nothing compared to them.
Where do the whales winter? what species do they eat then?
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
This is silly nature isn't going to rebuild itself short term and its a pipe dream if you think the government is going to get big hatcheries like US. Its not going to happen. I think this projcet is a very good thing and would like to see the see similar projects across the island and mainland coast. You dont want it to come down to well whales have no food so salmon fishing is closed. We along with other stakeholders have to take actions now so we can all keep fishing in future.
cuttlefish
Well-Known Member
DFO estimates the Northern and Southern Resident Orca eat ~ 1,000,000 Chinook annually. (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/340360.pdf) Let's assume there is a 50/50 split between the two groups.
How did that s1 Chinook project in Port Alberni? (http://www.albernivalleynews.com/news/210664631.html) Did they actually achieve the 10% survival rate mentioned?
If the Port Alberni group paid $50,000 for 65,000 s1's, would 500,000 s1's then cost the Sooke group $385,000?
How did that s1 Chinook project in Port Alberni? (http://www.albernivalleynews.com/news/210664631.html) Did they actually achieve the 10% survival rate mentioned?
If the Port Alberni group paid $50,000 for 65,000 s1's, would 500,000 s1's then cost the Sooke group $385,000?
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saltydawg
Well-Known Member
Orcas are our "Canaries in the Coal Mines". They lose we lose.
Get on board or get out of the way.
http://www.orcasalmonalliance.org/about.html
Get on board or get out of the way.
http://www.orcasalmonalliance.org/about.html
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Click Here for another POV
Note I was out on a Whale Watching trip a few weeks ago and saw some of these baby Orcas they appeared to be healthy and frisky.
(not my pic)
Note I was out on a Whale Watching trip a few weeks ago and saw some of these baby Orcas they appeared to be healthy and frisky.
(not my pic)
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
Here is just a few sources from a variety of organizations that confirm that the SRKW are indeed endangered. The fact that a few orcas have been born and the Chinook returns have been good this year does not mean that they are no longer endangered now or in the foreseeable future.
http://conservationbiology.uw.edu/research-programs/killer-whales/
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/killer-whale.html
http://whalemuseum.org/pages/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-southern-resident-endangered-orcas
http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/marine_mammals/killer_whale/esa_status.html
http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=699
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/species-especes/killerWhalesouth-PAC-NE-epaulardsud-eng.htm
http://www2.epa.gov/salish-sea/southern-resident-killer-whales
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/jf14/orca-threatened-species.asp
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/31/puget-sound-endangered-killer-whales-decline
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...f-protection-resident-orcas-still-in-trouble/
http://www.whaleresearch.com/#!orca-population/cto2
http://www.oceandiscovery.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/HSP-Species-at-Risk-Brochure-no_coupon.pdf
http://www.vancouversun.com/technol...found+dead+Strait+Georgia/10441674/story.html
http://conservationbiology.uw.edu/research-programs/killer-whales/
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/killer-whale.html
http://whalemuseum.org/pages/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-southern-resident-endangered-orcas
http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/marine_mammals/killer_whale/esa_status.html
http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=699
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/species-especes/killerWhalesouth-PAC-NE-epaulardsud-eng.htm
http://www2.epa.gov/salish-sea/southern-resident-killer-whales
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/jf14/orca-threatened-species.asp
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/31/puget-sound-endangered-killer-whales-decline
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...f-protection-resident-orcas-still-in-trouble/
http://www.whaleresearch.com/#!orca-population/cto2
http://www.oceandiscovery.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/HSP-Species-at-Risk-Brochure-no_coupon.pdf
http://www.vancouversun.com/technol...found+dead+Strait+Georgia/10441674/story.html
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ziggy
Well-Known Member
Seems there are only two options
1) increase the stock
2) decrease the harvest
Both have potential downfalls in addition to possible upsides. You have to wonder how healthy "salmon ranching" is long term. Would the closing of the spring fishery kill the guides and resorts?
Perhaps closing or limiting herring fishery would be a good start, until we can choose a more holistic approach, but I don't think it alone will solve the problem. On a lighter note; too bad they can't change their diet to include seals. Plenty of them!
I agree with your thoughts particularly limiting the herring fishery. I was told of the herring balls in the 60's & 70's in Burrard inlet and have never seen one there myself from the 80's onwards. Here are some pros and cons to consider when salmon ranching https://mbstp.org/videogallery_items/releasing-king-salmon-from-the-santa-cruz-harbor-into-the-monterey-bay/
I agree with your thoughts particularly limiting the herring fishery. I was told of the herring balls in the 60's & 70's in Burrard inlet and have never seen one there myself from the 80's onwards. Here are some pros and cons to consider when salmon ranching https://mbstp.org/videogallery_items/releasing-king-salmon-from-the-santa-cruz-harbor-into-the-monterey-bay/
Stopping a salmon harvest will allow true numbers returning to be determined. Sportfishing as C&R can continue. Without commercial harvest sport fishing will be great. 5 years of no harvest will allow for accurate numbers and allow for proper numbers for harvest. The fish belong to all Canadians, not just a select commercial group.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
You don't need to explain or defend what you guys are doing. Keep up the good work. There's talk on forum and then there is actually getting balls to do something. I am 100 percent behind the revitalization project.
Mostly everyone who fishes sooke area where this project is will most likely be on board.
We can't wait anymore and we spent years and years. Forums ,meetings, political pressure etc and it gets us no where with dfo to understand these fish are important. There is also no need for it just to be this project. There are several areas on coast that need to do this.
I think if you look at big picture if there is a continued steep decline in orcas your fishing will go bye bye. So that's why it's important to think about projects like this and be pro-active. Like it or not public perception of the whales is very strong and don't think we wouldn't get shut down or reduced if there isn't enough fish.
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saltydawg
Well-Known Member
Just so it,s clear.
3 different tribes of Orcas on our waters
1-Transients eat seals/porpoises. Population increasing
2-Offshore-eat Sharks /squid Population stable
3-Southern Residents eat chinook salmon. 81 whales +endangered*****
Southern Resident whales are endangered because :
Still recovering from the loss of a generation of viable females when aquariums were looking for stock.
They have learned to target big Chinook for fat content. As Chinook stocks go so do our whales
They are harassed by loud engine noises that effect their ability to echo locate their food.
They are at the apex of the food chain and toxins concentrate in their tissue. (Pcbs)
One of the critical components of this project is that we will be required to supply data to DFO. There is only one true hatchery indicator system that DFO gets data from now (Robertson Creek) as Dome Creek is gone and they want more. The Sooke River is unique because the wild Chinook population was wiped out by the late 70's. Since 1981 the Sooke Enhancement Society has transferred Chinook eggs from the Nitinat Hatchery to the Jack Brooks Hatchery. DFO scientists have done recent DNA profiles of the Sooke River Chinook and have determined that they are basically Nitinat stock. As there are no other wild Chinook stocks in the immediate Sooke River area it becomes an ideal river to use as an additional hatchery indicator system. Our plan for our first year would be to transfer 500,000 Chinook smolts from Nitinat by the spring of 2016 to Sooke Harbour. The plan would call for these smolts to be released in two groups of 250,000 with one group released a couple weeks later than the first group. The plan would require that we wire code 100,000 from each group, so 200,000 of the 500,000 would be tagged. This would allow DFO to see where these fish show up in all fisheries and how well they survive in the ocean. Information that will be of interest to the Sooke Enhancement Society as well I'm sure. We would also be required to recover tags from spent spawners in the river as well. This does raise the cost of the project from where we first started, but we all agree that data is vital. With a realistic survival rate of 2% to adult stage we would be looking at 20,000 additional Chinook being available to our local resident whales and to various fisheries. The goal is to also see the Sooke River Chinook population return to its historic numbers of around 2000-2500. Currently it has bounced up and down from 300 to 800.
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